10News: Hearing today for man accused of ID theft

10News

A preliminary hearing is scheduled Wednesday for a San Diego man accused of placing a debit card skimming device on a bank security door and ATM machines so he could steal the PIN numbers of thousands of customers.

Daniel Axinte is charged with 45 counts, including identity theft and burglary, and faces more than 20 years in prison if convicted, said Deputy District Attorney Sharla Evert. At the end of the preliminary hearing, a judge will decide if enough evidence was presented for Axinte to stand trial.

In addition to the debit card skimming device on the bank's security door, Axinte allegedly installed covert cameras aimed at capturing customers entering their PINs while using ATMs.

Axinte, 49, is believed to have stolen more than 970 compromised ATM/debit cards with an estimated loss of well over $100,000, prosecutors said. Bank customers had no idea their personal information was being compromised.

Evert alleged that Axinte used reconfigured debit cards from the stolen personal information and withdrew money from the victims' accounts, mostly in $500 increments. One victim had to get a new debit cards three times, the prosecutor said.

Chase Bank notified the San Diego Regional Fraud Task Force of the series of crimes occurring at its branch on Black Mountain Road in Rancho Penasquitos.

Prosecutors said that a Chase investigator determined someone had been placing the debit card skimming device on the security door accessing the lobby of the Black Mountain bank and ATM machines. The bank investigator reviewed surveillance videos from the branch and determined the same suspect had installed the skimmer and cameras on five previous weekends.

Investigators from the fraud task force conducted surveillance at the branch and arrested Axinte.